President's message for 2021 entrance ceremony

April 6th, 2021?

President's message for 2021 entrance ceremony?

Osaka City University
President Tetsuo Arakawa

Congratulations on this beautiful day to all undergraduate and graduate students who are celebrating their entrance into Osaka City University, and to their families who have been looking forward to this day.?

Since the beginning of last year, we were ravaged to an unprecedented degree by COVID-19 and were unable to hold a real entrance ceremony. With a lot of ingenuity, we threw together a virtual entrance ceremony and although it was well received, nothing beats the real thing. I rejoice with all of you that this year, we were able to hold a real entrance ceremony, ensuring all possible measures to prevent infection were taken. I would like to thank all staff members who worked so hard on the special preparations.?

You all, new students, are the "chosen ones" who overcame this extremely difficult year to achieve admission. That is a wonderful thing. Always remember to be grateful to your family, friends, and seniors who supported you in this endeavor, as you could not have done it alone. Also, please do not forget that there are people who lost the battle. Your university life should be one of taking care of these people. Hone your knowledge, skills, and humanity, and show leadership so that all human beings can be equally happy.?

This year is a special year for our university. It is the last year Osaka City University will accept students. I hope that you will be able to make a lasting impression on the graduates of Osaka City University, and at the same time, I hope that you will play a leading role in the development of the new university, Osaka Metropolitan University (tentative name), which will be created through our merger with Osaka Prefecture University next year, 2022. I ask all of you to work towards your two major missions of "finishing the job" and "passing on the baton to the new university".?

All staff and students will be working together to make our "Last Ichidai Year" a special year. Although "last" means "the end", it also has the double meaning of "to continue.” May our "last ichidai year" have a “lasting” effect on the new university. Let’s team up with our new classmates and work on various projects over the following year. I look forward to it.?

Our university, with its long history and tradition, celebrated its 140th anniversary last year. One of the philosophies of Tomoatsu Godai, who established the roots of our university, the Osaka Commercial Training Institute, is "altruism," or the spirit of putting others before oneself. Many people placed their trust in Mr. Godai, who carried on the samurai spirit as a Satsuma clan member, and he developed a strong personal network, resulting in him being called the father of the modern Osaka economy.?

At the same time as Tomoatsu Godai, Dr. William Smith Clark, the first head of Sapporo Agricultural College, left his students with the famous words, “Boys, be ambitious.” As everyone knows, the reason why there are no girls is because it was an all-boys school. The point is what Dr. Clark said next, "not for money.” This is something few people know. In other words, "Boys, be ambitious. But not for money, not for self-interest, and not for fame. Embrace your ambition in all that you should be or do as a human being.” This is perfectly in line with the spirit of "altruism" of Tomoatsu Godai. Similarly, the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), which were adopted at the UN Summit